Consider it all Joy

Thursday, May 27

Abby had a dream that Jesus was talking to her (telling her to store up wheat for the Sabbath), so when I tucked her into bed the next evening I told her I hoped she dreamed about Jesus again. She told me it would be really great if she really saw Him and not just dream about it, and then she wanted to know if when He creates the new earth would He be in heaven or on earth with us. When I told her He would be with us she said, "Oh good! So when we see Him we can bow down and then jump up and give Him a hug and kiss!"

Wednesday, February 3

It's hard to believe it, but my six-year old now has some braces on her teeth. Abby has lots of dental issues to deal with, but I was hoping we could put it off for another year...or ten! Unfortunately, she has a permanent molar that is erupting sideways just enough that it is caught on a baby molar and it is damaging the baby molar which she needs for another five or six years.

We could have pulled the baby tooth and put in a spacer, but we would have had to straighten the permanent molar fairly soon anyway. So we decided it was best to go ahead and straighten it now and try to save her baby tooth.

After one consult with our local orthodontist, I decided to try the dental school at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland. I am so glad we did! It is saving us thousands of dollars (yes, thousands!) and making it possible for us to get her the treatment. She only has three brackets and a spring on her teeth, but without orthodontic insurance, it is still pretty costly. Also, even though there are only three teeth involved, it is enough to be a bit painful for Abby.

She was a trooper during the x-rays, impresssions, and photos during our first visit. And during the visit where they put the braces on, the student orthodontist said, "I was in two surgeries this morning with patients who were sleeping, and neither of them were as still as Abby!" She did fantastic, as usual.

Back when I had braces we didn't have any choice of colors, but now they have about 25 different colored bands to choose from. Abby chose hot pink, of course!

I think now a week later, she has mostly adjusted to the appliance. She has a callous on the inside of her cheek and the initial pain from the spring has dissipated. Hopefully we can get that molar "unstuck" soon. After we get this paid for, she will be having her four baby canines extracted to make room for her permanent incisors that have no place to go right now. That will buy us a couple years until those adult canines come in!

Monday, December 14

I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem.

I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town; and whose spirit still brings music to persons all over the world, in towns both large and small.

I believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and I confess that my heart still sometimes wants to exclude Christ from my life today.

I believe in the one who the rulers of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand; whose life was among common people, whose welcome came from persons of hungry hearts.

I believe in the one who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible.

I believe in the one whose cradle was a mother’s arms, whose modest home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth, who looked at persons and made them see what God’s love saw in them, who by love brought sinners back to purity, and lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God.

I confess my ever-lasting need of God: The need of forgiveness for our selfishness and greed, the need of new life for empty souls, the need of love for hearts grown cold.

I believe in God who gives us the best of himself. I believe in Jesus, the son of the living God, born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world.

Wednesday, November 4

I can't believe I have let my blog go for so long. It's a combination of several things: I got behind and hated to skip over some posts I wanted to do which meant I didn't post anything, we started school back up in September and we're using a more Mommy/Teacher-intensive curriculum than before, and I have a new hobby that takes up my "spare" time.

But I am biting the bullet and skipping over a bunch of things I wanted to post and going right to the last excuse on my list: my new hobby. I am now a "sweeper." I enter sweepstakes and contests, and I enter a lot of them. Which brings me to the topic of my post: My biggest win so far was a four-night/five-day trip for two to Orlando, Florida, to go see the 2009 Dew Tour Finals. What? I know it doesn't sound like something I'd enter, but the odds were good and my hubby's dad lives near Orlando, so I figured it would be worth trying.

The Omni ChampionsGate Resort

It turned out to be an incredible trip! We flew first class to Orlando, had a car rental which wasn't listed as part of the prize, we stayed at an incredible resort and were given an upgraded room which gave us access to all kinds of things for free at the resort, we had breakfast at the hotel each day, four-day VIP passes to the Dew Tour, a meet and greet with one of the skateboard celebrities (Paul Rodriguez), and $500 cash!

The view from our room which shows one of my new favorite things...the lazy river.

Another view from our room showing one pool, jacuzzi, fountain, and golf course.

Once we arrived in Orlando and got our cute little rental car (Mazda 3), we picked up our VIP passes and grabbed some free food from the VIP lounge before heading to our hotel. We were duly impressed with our accomodations! The staff was incredibly friendly and did everything they could to make us comfortable.

We spent the next day relaxing and enjoying the resort, including a delicious breakfast. They had a Par 3 nine-hole golf course that was free, so I played golf for the very first time. I stink at it, but it was still enjoyable and pretty good exercise too.

After golf, we got into our swimsuits and played in the water. The lazy river was so much fun! I was talked into going down the water slide once, and hubby went down a couple of times. Mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company, which is something we don't get to do a whole lot. After the pool, we explored the resort a little before heading back up to our room to get cleaned up for dinner.

We aren't really into the whole skateboarding and BMX scene, but we decided to go to the Meet and Greet that was set up for us and to watch the Vert BMX finals that evening. We enjoyed the evening and were glad we went, but we were happy when we were able to sell our VIP passes on CraigsList for the remaining two days.

Us and Paul Rodriguez, who doesn't look much like his comedian dad.

Can you believe the height this guy is getting? These people are crazy!

Saturday after breakfast, Eddie went to play golf with his dad while I relaxed at the hotel. In fact, I ended up falling asleep for almost an hour while watching TV. I was fighting a cold, but we bought some Zicam and it did the trick. I had a special lunch and afternoon with a friend I haven't seen in over ten years! Bonnie drove 90 minutes to come visit with me, and we had a nice lunch and great afternoon chatting. After Bonnie left we played another nine holes of golf and went to dinner at the glamorous Waffle House. They have the best waffles and hash browns and our whole meal including dessert was $12!

Sunday we went to church at St. Andrews where R.C. Sproul preaches. They have just moved into their new church building, and it is huge but lovely. We spoke briefly with Dr. Sproul and even had a chance to say hi to Alan Keyes who was in town for a conference.

After church we met Ed's dad and his wife Irma for lunch at Mt. Dora. Irma is Cuban, and we actually ended up eating at a little Cuban restaurant, which was a first for Ed and me. Unfortunately, the golf game pretty much wore Ed's dad out the previous day, so he needed to go home after lunch. Ed and I walked around a park there in Mt. Dora for a few minutes before driving back to the hotel.

After making a stop at the hotel, we decided to drive to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. We haven't been before, and it was a fun experience. After dinner we browsed some of the shops and found something to bring the kids home. I'm not much of a shopper and we only made it through a small fraction of the shops before I was ready to leave.

I took this picture just for my Disney-loving sister-in-law. In case you can't tell, it's a power pole! Cute, huh?

Monday was our last day, but we requested a late check-out so we slept in, had breakfast, relaxed in the jacuzzi, went in the lazy river, went back in the jacuzzi and just generally enjoyed our last few hours at the resort. Finally we packed up, checked out, had lunch, turned in our rental car and made the long journey home.

One of the days maybe I'll remember to look at the lens and not the screen.

It was a totally unexpected vacation, but it was one of the best vacations my hubby and I have ever had. We missed the kids quite a bit, but it was just the break we both needed.

Friday, September 11

Eight years later it is still fresh in my mind and emotions. My heart picks up the pace and feels like it is rising in my throat every time I see the images. If it is still painful for me after all this time, what must it be like for those who actually lived through the nightmare at ground zero or who lost loved ones? I am praying for them today. I have not forgotten that America still has enemies in this world who are plotting more evil against us. I thank God we have men and women who are fighting that battle every day. I am praying for them today as well.

Abigail loves bugs. She loves to watch them, play with them, and study them. Thus far she doesn't show much fear of any kind of bug, which is a blessing for me since I now have two kids to kill spiders for me!

On this particular morning, she ran outside in her jammies to investigate the creature she saw on the screen. I wasn't sure what kind of bug it was, but Daddy said it was bait a mayfly.

Saturday, August 15

Our representative Congressman David Wu held a townhall in the little town right next to ours, so I thought I'd take the kids and see if I would get the opportunity to speak to him about my concerns. Not surprisingly, that didn't happen. Though we have a high school with a large gymnasium and several other venues he could have chosen that would have given many more people the ability to participate, there was only seating for 70 people inside the room where the townhall was held.

I'm still glad I went. Both kids were interested in the whole thing, and Ryan enjoyed reading all the signs and asking about what the meant. We had an impromptu civics and history lesson right there in the parking lot, and they got to see the democratic process at work. We didn't stay too long once we realized we wouldn't get in, but while we were there, it was pretty peaceful and respectful. It was frustrating to see (and hear) union employees who had their professionally made signs and who were bussed in from who knows where...but I digress.

The kids behaved very well and were patient with me as I lingered to listen to people talk and when I took the time to fill out a comment card, so afterward I surprised them and treated them to an ice cream cone at McDonald's. We ate ice cream and discussed the Constitution. I had a great time, and moments like those are what keeps me going with homeschooling, reminding me what a gift it is to be able to be there when the light bulb goes on.

Welcome

I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom who is blessed with a wonderful hubby. We have had the privilege of adopting our two children and are grateful to the Lord and their birthparents for entrusting us with such treasures. One of my goals and challenges each day is to consider it all joy and serve the Lord cheerfully during the good, the bad, and the downright ugly!